Elopement
by renai and sheia
Summary: A relationship between the Klutas and the Zoldicks is divulged and Kurapika and Killua are caught in the middle of it. How do they escape family obligations and pursue the course of their true desires? Semi-AU. I replaced the chapters again coz of the nam
1. July 7

**Title:** Elopement

**Authors:** Renaissance and Sheiakurei

**Disclaimer:** HunterXHunter does not belong to us. Honestly, if we owned it, we wouldn't be _writing_ about it. If we were making money out of it, you wouldn't see it in the Internet, so there's nothing to worry about.

**Pairing(s):** KilluaxKurapika ; GonxHisoka

**Rating:** PG-13

**Genre:** Romance

**Summary:** A relationship between the Klutas and the Zaoldyecks is divulged and Kurapika and Killua are caught in the middle of it. How do they escape family obligations and pursue the course of their true desires?

**Author's Note:** This is a semi-AU fic and Kurapika is a girl. I know you might not like it but it's more convenient for the plot (I have a plot!!!). It's a rather mushy fic so I apologize. Please bear with me and review. Flames warm my heart.

**Enjoy!**

In the beginning, the Earth was a solitary rock that hung in space, drifting aimlessly on its orbit around the sun. No life to support, no elements to support life except for earth that comprised the rock of which the planet was made of. One would think that a place such as this would be snubbed by the Gods in search of a better planet, one livelier than this. However, this was the planet the God Aryun and his servant, the demi-goddess Kimiko chose above all the rest, particularly because this was a solid planet that could support life once given the elements to support life with. The other planets were merely swirling balls of hot gasses that would destroy life in an instant.

_So Aryun and Kimiko descended upon the highest peak that they could find and created their home there. Aryun blessed the Earth with water and air. He gave it plants to beautify the land and he gave it animals to swim in the seas and walk on the earth. Finally, Aryun created man, his first child and named it Zaoldyeck._

_Now, Zaoldyeck, although directly descended from Aryun, was not like his father in any way except for the similarity in features. He had not the God's power, strength, spirit, but most of all, the ability to create life. Aryun saw a problem in this, for he wanted humans to roam the Earth, to till the soil and to tame the beasts. He wanted humans to beautify the Earth even more. So, instead of creating millions more, he solved the problem by creating another human, this time in his servant, Kimiko's likeness. He named it Sylvia._

_Sylvia and Zaoldyeck were alike in many ways but not where it counted. Sylvia had been borne with dormant, undeveloped children in her, waiting for Zaoldyeck to resurrect them. She had been borne with a womb to where the resurrected child would be housed until the day it would be mature enough to come out into the world. And she had been borne with appendages in which to feed the young human as it developed._

_Kimiko, seeing the wisdom in her master's work, created two offsprings of her own, similar to Sylvia and Zaoldyeck. She named the female 'Kluta' and the male 'Clapickt' and from then on, the six of them resided in their home in the Kukuluu Mountains._

_As time grew however, another problem arose. The family was growing to big, too fast and the Kukuluu Mountain could no longer accommodate them. Something had to be done. Zaoldyeck decided then, to choose an heir who would inherit the name, the power and the land that the gods have given them. The heir and his family would continue to reside in the Kukuluu Mountain and the rest were to go forth into the world and multiply amongst themselves. Kluta, being the head of her tribe, did the same to her children as Zaoldyeck did, leaving only the heir and her family to reside in the mountain in service of Zaoldyeck and his family._

"So that is the history of your family, Master Killua" Killua's tutor, his uncle, discussed at length, boring Killua out of his mind. Killua yawned largely. "Are there any questions?"

"Yeah. What does tilling the soil and taming the beasts have to do with training and combat?" Killua asked back.

"Well, Master Killua, Zaoldyeck was nothing like his father Aryun in terms of strength and power. This was an embarrassment to him. So to compensate, he vowed to become as strong as the gods so that Aryun would be proud of him."

"And the Kluta slaves?"

"As years passed, the Zaoldyecks found less and less use of the Klutas as slaves since the Zaoldyecks were given wives of their own family. So instead of _all_ Klutas as slaves, before the head of the Kluta tribe sends away her children, she asks the head of the Zaoldyecks to choose a slave for his heir, a gift and a sign of Kimiko's servitude to Aryun. The chosen Kluta is given special training to avoid conceiving a child, a mix between the Zaoldyeck and Kluta blood is not allowed, this is why the bloodline of the Zaoldyecks are pure Zaoldyecks and the bloodline of the Klutas are pure Klutas, and she is presented to the heir of the Zaoldyeck on his eighteenth birthday. She is his for life." (1)

"Eighteenth, huh?" Killua grinned. His eighteenth birthday was merely days away. He wondered whom his father chose for him. He casually strolled out of the room without even saying goodbye. His uncle sighed and observed his nephew as the latter walked away. Six foot seven with a medium build easily hid the power that Killua possessed. White spiked hair with lavender streaks added to the air of confidence Killua held. Dark blue eyes signaled a warning to whoever got on his wrong side. Killua's uncle sighed again.

"The Zaoldyecks are becoming more arrogant by the generation."

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Killua felt almost giddy. A feeling he almost hadn't experienced before, except for that time when he was eight and almost reached the 200th floor of the Coliseum in the Sky. If only it was a Zaoldyeck thing to do, he'd have a huge grin plastered to his face but since training forced him to show no emotion, especially in the presence of his father, he suppressed the urge to smile, wearing his mask of cold indifference.

Okay, so he grinned just a little bit.

Who could help it? It was _that_ day. The day he had been waiting for, for days ever since his uncle told him that important piece of information. Early that morning, his father had sent for him before anyone else could talk to him, and for that alone, Killua was excited. As I said, who could help it? The Klutas were known to be especially attractive. Killua had long since been jealous of his father for his slave and had long since wanted one. This was the day.

He knocked loudly on the door as he was expected to do, more of respect than to announce his presence. He knew that his father knew he stood outside the door waiting for the correct time to enter so no introductions were necessary. His father gestured for him to be seated on the chair in front of the bed as he set aside some… um… _business_ that needed to be dealt with. But first…

"Happy Birthday, Killua" his father, Sylva, greeted indifferently. Killua nodded in acknowledgement but said nothing. "I'm sure you've been briefed, so I don't need to discuss anything. Let's make this quick, I've got much to do." Killua nodded in agreement. Sylva clapped his hands heavily. Killua recognized his father's slave walk in through the side door. Despite being well over forty, she looked no day over thirty. That was a lot to say. Behind her, he recognized the head of the Kluta tribe, having seen her a lot before while training, while following her were two figures whom he could not discern, one he did not recognize, the other he could not properly see. The four bowed low on Killua's right side, the side from which they had entered.

"Killua-sama, Sylva-sama, may I present the heir of the Kluta tribe" the current head introduced. No names were necessary at the moment. Sylva and Killua nodded ever so slightly. "And Kluta Kurapika." The fourth person who entered stood up slowly and gracefully. Sylva's slave helped her remove her coat, which covered her head to foot. A slave was to be seen only by the right people. The people in the room at this moment were the right people. Having been set free from the first set of clothing that weighed her down, Kurapika bowed again, although this time not as low as her family in order to be inspected.

Killua was in shock. He had not expected this. He expected her to be attractive, he expected himself to like her at the very least. He did not like her.

Standing at six foot two, she had sun-kissed blonde hair, most probably long, since it was done in an elaborately simple hairstyle that only waist length hair could support. She was covered in a heavy outer-kimono, in a predominantly violet color with embroidered bamboo stems and leaves in dull gold. At the back was the Zaoldyeck family crest embroidered in the same gold. The main kimono was also of the same gold with violet embroidery and a violet obi tied elaborately. Inside, she wore an inner-kimono of white. He could not see her face, but when he tipped her chin up, he almost drowned in the deepest, most beautiful pools of green he had ever seen. Her make-up was light enough to enhance her features and bring out the beauty of her eyes, not to obscure.

She was not attractive.

To be correct, she was not _merely_ attractive.

To Killua, and most probably every male on earth, she had the beauty that could rival her ancestor, Kimiko. She was the handmade creation… no… _masterpiece_ of the combined efforts of both Aryun and Kimiko to bring forth into the world a child, worthy of being called a goddess herself. She could be called the result of the union of Aryun and Kimiko in the holy act of sex, of which no record of such union between the two gods had ever been made, and thus, no record of one as beautiful as she had ever been brought forth, until now.

No, Killua did not like her. Or, more accurately, he did not _just_ like her. He stood in awe of her. Her mere presence made him feel as if she was the master and he was the slave. He did not look down at her, nor did he look straight. He looked up at her as if it was her natural habitat to be up in the heavens with all the other Gods and Goddesses. Worst of all, however conditionally, he was intimidated. For the first time in his life, he was intimidated. Not of his father, his grandfather, nor of his brother, Illumi, but of Kurapika, _his_ slave, his and only his.

Killua instantly fell in love.

No words were needed. Killua took Kurapika's hand and led her out, gently but firmly and briskly. He couldn't decide where to go or what to do. He wanted her badly, but he couldn't bring himself to taint her with his impurity, so he took her to his mother's garden.

Sure, they were a family of assassins, but his mother was still a woman and especially liked pretty things. She had a garden made, complete with a fountain and a gazebo, which housed a simple, two-seater swing. Killua completely bypassed them and took a spot on the ground beside the giant Sakura tree in the center of the garden. He took off his outer shirt and laid it on the grass neatly. He helped Kurapika sit comfortably before sitting down beside her.

"You're kimono is weighted" he noted, lifting a heavy sleeve.

"Hai, Killua-sama" she replied, softly. Killua was, yet again, stunned. Her voice… it was like honey, smooth and sweet… but sticky. He was like the bee, drawn to it, doomed to be stuck to it if he got too close. He couldn't be the bee, he shouldn't get too close.

"Why?" he wanted to hear more of her voice.

"For discipline and training. We have to learn how to protect ourselves lest someone try to have his way with us. We are not expected to be with our masters at all times but we are expected to be open to only our masters. Punishment is death, whether we were willingly taken by another man or not," Kurapika explained, arranging her skirts.

"Don't you get tired?"

"Iie, I've been wearing them since I was born. It's not just the slaves who wear these. The heirs do, too."

"So… you used to be…"

"Hai, Killua-sama. I—"

"Ssh…" he interrupted gently, "Now is not the time to talk about it." Kurapika nodded obediently. They kept silent for a moment.

"Telling you you're beautiful would be an insult. No words can describe you… nothing can be compared to you, not even Kimiko herself," he said after a long while of silence, gazing at her, stroking her hair, cupping her cheek, drowning himself in the pools of green. Funny enough, the more he drowned, the more he felt alive. The moment he averted his gaze, he felt like dying.

"Have you seen Kimiko-sama?" Kurapika asked gently, albeit a bit teasingly. Killua blinked.

"Iie, but I doubt she could hold a candle to you," he told her rather stoically. He forced himself to keep his emotions in check, relying more on his training now than he ever did.

"Arigatou, Killua-sama" Kurapika smiled softly. And Killua had thought she couldn't get any more beautiful. Just a simple smile made her glow like the rising sun. He wanted to jump her, for lack of a better term.

_Killua, contain yourself,_ he scolded himself mentally.

"You can be yourself, Killua-sama," she told him.

"Nani?" he asked.

"I'm yours, Killua-sama, a gift from my tribe to your family. It's a great honor to belong to you. I'd rather be nowhere else. I'm willing to do anything you desire, just say the word," she told him calmly then added solemnly, "If it calms you better, anything I divulge about you, or if I betray you, you are correct to punish me or put me to death, as is your right." Killua frowned and cupped her cheeks.

"Iie, Kurapika, it doesn't matter what you do, I don't think I can give you up for any reason" he told her, equally solemn. He then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. She lay back against his chest. "How old are you?" he asked.

"Twenty-four" she replied. Killua raised a finely shaped eyebrow.

"You're six years older than me," he muttered, more to himself.

"Hai, Killua-sama" she smiled. Killua sighed.

"Never mind. I won't complain, you being as beautiful as you are." Kurapika's smile went unnoticed, as Killua didn't see it. Killua stared into the distance or a moment, contemplating on his following action before turning Kurapika around and drawing her in slowly for a soft kiss. It felt as if their lips hadn't even touched, as if their breaths merely intermingled. Killua couldn't bring himself to do anymore. "Kurapika-chan, what kind of training do you do to avoid conception?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"Anou… well we're taught a special type of Gyo called Han. It focuses the aura near the cervix so as to prevent the sperm from entering into the uterus and thus to the fallopian tube" Kurapika answered slowly, unnecessarily cautious of her words. (2) Killua didn't seem to care; he was more intent on the answer.

"Ah… sou… and what happens if, accidentally or purposely, conception does occur?"

"Anou… the slave is put to death along with her child, with or without the consent of the master…" Kurapika said, fidgeting uncomfortably. Killua kept silent for a moment.

"Were you given a room already?" he finally asked.

"Iie…"

"Good. You'll stay in mine."

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"Kupi, how did you come to be mine?" Killua asked absently one night, a few days later. They lay together in bed, Killua's arms wrapped around Kurapika, their fingers intertwined. Nothing happened, if that's what you're thinking. Killua still refused to touch her more than necessary and it was frustrating for Kurapika. She had no idea what she was doing wrong, however she never asked, it was Killua's decision when and how.

"Well, I already told you I was supposed to be the heir of the Kluta tribe, ne?"

"Hai."

"Well, I was chosen as the heir at birth. I grew up training for the position. However, as the time came for my brothers and sisters to leave, it was almost my thirteenth birthday then. Sylva-sama was asked, as was ritual, to select a slave. He chose none of my siblings but then asked my mother for me. My mother had no choice but to comply. So I still trained, but more of self-defense. I was also trained in other things that I needed once I would meet you. Finally, eleven years later, here I am," she explained simply.

"Oh…" Killua murmured, nuzzling her neck. He suddenly sat up and hovered over her. "Let's go out for a few weeks."

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(1) Okay… so I used the term 'ligated' at first, but I foresaw some… problems, so I changed it. Let's just assume that ligation was not invented yet.

(2) Obviously, I just invented this, but as I said, I had plans.

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Next Chapter! ---


	2. Hunter Exam Modified

Killua walked through the throng of people carefully but briskly. Behind him, Kurapika followed easily and gracefully, as if she was walking through a park, despite the heavy load she was wearing. She wore a kimono-style blouse and a calf-length, full, balloon skirt held together by an obi. Over it was an outer-kimono as a coat. Her hair was pulled back in a simple ponytail and she wore low-heeled pumps. (1) Killua took her hand and walked closer to a table near a wall of the room. There were no decorations in the room and no windows, it looked more like a cell, with only two doors, one to get into the room and another to get into the rest of the building most probably, and yet it was large enough to accommodate the people in it, ranging well over a thousand.

"Killua and Kurapika" he said to a man. The man wrote the names down and gave them two pins with numbers. Killua took 1128 and Kurapika took 1127. The man wrote that down. They walked away, heading to a corner of the room.

"Where are we, Killu?" Kurapika asked in a hushed voice.

"The Hunter Exam, Kupi" Killua answered.

"What are we doing here?" she asked again.

"Having fun."

"Hi!" someone suddenly greeted. The two turned to see a tall, slender man, much like Killua, except he had black hair with green highlights and widest most expressive brown eyes anyone has ever seen. They nodded in acknowledgement.

"Ore wa Gon Freecs, desu. You are?"

"Killua and Kurapika" Killua told him shortly, jerking his thumb to indicate who was who. Kurapika smiled, interested in the boy.

"Would you mind if I hung by you for a moment. You seem the only people my age… or I just haven't seen anyone my age yet. There are so many people," the boy, Gon said, marveling the amount of people around them, "Would you mind if I asked why you joined the exam?" he asked pleasantly. Killua kept quiet, resting his head on his palms as he leaned back against the wall, while Kurapika answered.

"No important reason. How about you?"

"I'm looking for my father. He's a very good hunter. Nobody knows where he is that's why I'm joining, to find clues to where he is."

"Some father… why doesn't he show himself to you?"

"Well, he said he's afraid of meeting me and that I should become a great Hunter in order to find him… stuff like that" Gon answered happily. Killua was bored. Kurapika was intrigued. Either way, the exam had started.

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It was the fourth exam; they had reached the 'tower of doom', as Killua jokingly put it. (2) Over the past few days and the past two exams, the three of them grew enormously as indivisible friends, joined, during the first exam, by a med-school student, Leorio. Even Killua had opened up and he and Gon were now the best of friends.

The exam had started off through a test of stamina by running faster and faster until people either dropped out from fatigue or lagged behind and only about two hundred were left. (3) At this point, they had met Leorio who needed a bit of cheering up to ignore his fatigue. Leorio was a med-school student who joined the Hunter Exam to get money to study and open his own clinic for the poor. Kurapika and Gon found his intentions good enough to help him. Killua couldn't care less.

They had emerged into a swampy area where the number was lessened into about eighty either because people had gotten lost or they had killed each other off. At this point, the four had found out about a weirdo named Hisoka who was somewhat obsessed with Gon. Killua and Gon had already started to become close friends. This was exam number two. (4)

Exam number three was held by a fat Gourmet Hunter who wanted nothing but a roast pig from each applicant and a fussy Gourmet Hunter who wanted them to cook her some weird food called 'sushi'. Almost everyone would have failed if not for the chairman of the Hunter Association, Chairman Netero.

So here they were, in the tower of doom, facing their opponents before they would be allowed to move on to the next exam. The buffoon, Tomba, had just finished his pathetic loss, if you could even call it that. Leorio was angry. Gon was calming him down. Kurapika was helping him. Killua was too annoyed to bother. Gon went next. He and his opponent agreed on a simple game, it was more of gambling actually. They both had candles; the person, whose candle went out first, loses. Gon's opponent obviously cheated, Gon's candle was burning out too quickly, too abnormally. No rules were set, so Gon, being the smart kid he was, ran over and blew out his opponent's candle. Game. Set. Match.

Leorio had a harder time with an even simpler problem. His opponent made him guess if s/he were male or female. Leorio was stumped. He guessed wrong. (5)

Finally there were only two matches left: Killua's and Kurapika's.

"Go ahead" Killua offered, smiling. Kurapika smiled back. Gon smiled too. Leorio followed suit, waiting to be avenged. Tomba was excited to see Kurapika 'fail', so he was smiling slightly. Everybody was smiling. (The author was smiling as she wrote this. The author is on sugar high.) Kurapika walked forward, across the narrow bridge and onto the arena. Upon arriving, she took off her over-kimono slowly and threw it to the edge of the ring. Weighted as it was, it crashed onto the floor denting it loudly and deeply. Gon, Leorio and Tomba gaped at it, the mouths opening and closing like landed fishes. Killua merely smirked at their expressions.

"Kurapika-san was wearing _that_ all this time?!" Gon asked him.

"She always has. It's part of her clan's culture" Killua replied, shrugging nonchalantly. All their eyes returned to Kurapika and her opponent who had just removed his cloak. He was big, muscular and looked like he'd been punched in the eye and mouth. Kurapika rolled her eyes as he growled.

"A woman… you gave me a woman…" he muttered in frustration. Kurapika wanted to punch him.

"I'll try not to disappoint you," she said instead. The guy shrugged and launched his bulky figure forward. Kurapika dodged it awkwardly. He swung his arm back at Kurapika. She sped forward, clearing most of the swing, but he grazed her shirt.

"Go, Kurapika! You can do it!" Gon yelled in encouragement. Kurapika turned to him and got punched in the back. Gon winced, apologizing softly. The opponent launched at her again, throwing numerous fast punches. She blocked them, but ripped her sleeves at the same time. Finally, the guy swung his leg in an arch, hooking into her cheek. Kurapika fell to her knees, a trail of blood coming out of her mouth, making the guy laugh loudly. She wiped it away with a handkerchief.

"Finish him," Killua said softly but everyone heard him. They all looked at him then at Kurapika. The opponent took out a weapon, an axe-like blade that fit on his forearm. It had a chain attached to the bottom end with a mace attached to the chain. He wielded it awkwardly, but dangerously. Kurapika disappeared. She reappeared moments later, picking up her over-kimono and putting it on slowly and calmly. The opponent screamed and launched himself at her yet again. Kurapika stopped moving for one second, without turning to her opponent. He suddenly fell to pieces. Literally. His body was hacked, mercilessly, apart. Kurapika walked back calmly to the viewing area. The three let her pass. Killua laughed. "You didn't have to overdo it," he told her. Kurapika shrugged. Tomba took a step back away from her.

"Do it quick, Killu, I'm bored" Kurapika winked cutely.

"Yep. My turn," he stretched his arms out in front of him, cracking his knuckles and his neck. His opponent kicked the dismembered man off the ring and into the abyss. "Let's make this quick."

"I won't accept a surrender. This will be a fight to the death, like it or not" his opponent started.

"I like it" Killua grinned and vanished.

"Do you two have the same techniques or something?" Leorio asked stupidly. Moments later Killua's opponent also vanished. Killua reappeared and called to Kurapika. Kurapika threw her handkerchief at him. He opened it and threw it over his head. It was large enough to act as an umbrella as blood rained around him, covering the ring but for the square patch where Killua stood. Kurapika smiled.

"Nope, Killua's better."

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(1) I love dresses. Don't question my authority. :p

(2) I don't remember the name of the tower and the number of the exam… sorry. --;;

(3/4) I don't remember if this was an exam or part of one… --;;

(5) I forgot who won this match and if it was Gon before Leorio or Leorio before Gon. --;;

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Next Chapter! )


	3. Kalluto Zaoldyeck Zaoldyeck

As the months passed, Killua's love for Kurapika grew stronger as did her's for him. No day was complete without sharing a few moments together, no night was complete without sleeping in each other's arms; sex was not a requirement yet. Killua took her everywhere, whether it be a meeting with a client or an assassination, much to Sylva's dismay. He discouraged Killua from bringing any extra load so an assassination won't become an attempt. But Kurapika was perfect. She could protect herself excellently, hide herself well and blend in unnoticeably. She was as silent and swift as a cat and was a better than any fighter, save for the Zaoldyecks, even with her weighted clothes.

He trained her and with her on the days when training was required. She sat quietly in a corner when 'intense training' (a.k.a. torture) was expected of him and Zeno and Sylva were there to 'train' him. There was not a moment when she left his side or when Killua did not bring her along his trips. She was perfect.

Killua decided to take it to the next level.

He took her one night, gently and lovingly, on the eve her birthday, which was on April 7th. It was the best night of their virgin lives. (1) They woke up to the perfect morning in each other's arms, although the rest of the day demanded more training and meetings. And again went to bed, nestled in each other's arms. They had sex again two days later when the bliss from their first time had worn off.

A few months later, Killua's 19th birthday was fast approaching. He wasn't as excited as he was before. Nothing better could be given to him after the gift he received from the Kluta tribe on his last birthday. Kurapika couldn't decide what to give him. She wasn't expected to give him anything, but she wanted to. Killua only grinned and kissed her when she mentioned this to him.

"You do realize you're treating me like a child. I am six years older than you," she reminded.

"Hai, hai, Kupi. Demo, you're so kawaii," he teased. Kurapika glared at him before he captured her lips in a kiss that left much to be desired. "Not now, Kupi" he told her when she tempted him. It took all of his willpower to overcome her charm, he managed it eventually, by making her sit down on the couch in his room as he sorted out, on the bed, the business his clients have given him. After a few minutes he looked at her to see her watching him. "Let's take a bath," he suggested. Kurapika nodded, calling to her maids to set up the bathroom. When all was ready, half an hour later, they adjourned to the huge bathroom with a sunken bathtub filled with slightly hot water.

Least to say, they spent the better part of supposedly cleaning themselves, making out. It took them fifteen minutes to wash off the dirt and grime they had acquired from training, before sliding into the bathtub. Kurapika settled onto the built in bench with a small sigh. Killua followed suit beside her, licking off the droplets of water that ran down her neck.

"Kurapika-chan…" he murmured.

"Hai, Killua-sama?"

"I love you."

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Killua walked around the mansion that day, grinning like an idiot. His father had called for him and Killua was on his way to see him, something about important matters. Killua couldn't care less. Kurapika was out in town, with his permission, getting him something for his birthday. He was a bit uneasy about that. It would be the first time they separated since they met. He allowed her however; she could take care of herself. He also couldn't wait for her gift. Next to her, it was most likely the second best thing he would ever receive, something thought of and given to him by his beloved.

Sylva watched Killua enter. He had on his usual stoic mask that was expected of him, but his eyes held a distinct sparkle that was never there before, _ever_. He was starting to wonder if he made a mistake of choosing the Kluta for Killua, or worse, the mistake of choosing the Kluta for _Killua_ and not for himself. She certainly had an effect on his heir.

"Killua, as you know your nineteenth birthday is coming up. These four years are the most crucial stages in a Zaoldyeck's life. The eighteenth is when you are marked as a man and given a woman of your own. The twenty-first is when you take over the Zaoldyeck name. The nineteenth in when you are to be engaged, and twentieth—to be married" Sylva stated simply and straightforwardly. Killua blinked, losing the sparkle in his eyes as his father's words dawned onto him.

"Married?" he asked. Sylva nodded. "To who?" Sylva waved his hand and his slave lead the way for a young girl of sixteen. She had long, glossy black hair, beautiful amethyst eyes and a slender figure at a height of about five foot eleven. She was no doubt beautiful, but Killua had eyes only for Kurapika. Besides… "KALLUTO?!" he yelled, jumping back, "But she's my _sister_ for fuck's sake!" (2)

"This is how it's been done for centuries, Killua. Zeno did it, I did it and now you'll do it. Accept your destiny, my son. Kalluto has accepted her's" Sylva told him.

"I can't… I WON'T!"

"It's already been settled, Killua. Your birthday will be your official engagement. Next year, you are to marry. You aren't required to love her. You aren't _supposed_ to love her, much less anyone else" Sylva told him pointedly. It was obvious as to whom he was referring to. "You need not even bed her frequently. The only requirement is that you have at least two children, a male and a female." Killua's eyes widened in disbelief and in shock. He ran out of the room. "Make sure he doesn't leave" Sylva ordered sternly. Kalluto nodded and followed Killua out.

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"You're being childish" Kalluto muttered, catching up with Killua's stride easily.

"Go away, Kalluto. It's none of your business" Killua growled. Kalluto smirked. Her brother was so predictable.

_Greatest Zaoldyeck? Yeah right_ she scoffed. "You're being childish" she repeated, "Why can't you just accept our family's traditions? Your slave accepted hers. Do you think, if she weren't forced to, she'd ever want to be your slave? Please. Do you think, if it weren't her duty, she'd ever live to please you? Nobody wants to be a slave, Killua, but she learned to live with it. So must you." Killua stopped. _Right on target_, she thought. Killua turned to her.

"You have no idea what you're saying" he said and resumed his pace. Kalluto smirked yet again, not following him this time.

Her brother was too easy.

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Killua reached his room and slammed the door shut, throwing himself on the bed. He didn't show it to her, but Kalluto's words brought a new realization unto him. What if what she said was true? What if Kurapika didn't love him at all? It couldn't be, could it? He hadn't given her any reason to hate him. He never raised a hand to her. He never shouted at her. Hell, he treated her like a goddess.

_Nobody wants to be a slave_. Kalluto's words kept ringing in his head.

_Should I set her free?_ he wondered, _Kalluto, you bitch, you just had to ruin everything didn't you…_ He rolled over onto his stomach, buried his head in his arms and took a moment to think. _I can't marry Kalluto…_ he decided finally.

He sat up, burying his face in his palms and staying like that or a moment until Kurapika came back. She knocked softly on the door to Killua's room. It wasn't necessary, but she did out of respect. She heard a vague grunt of acknowledgement from Killua from inside so she deemed it correct to enter. The smile she had when she had entered immediately disappeared when she caught sight of Killua brooding on the bed.

"Daijoubu ka?" she asked softly and concernedly. Killua looked at her and beckoned her to come closer. Kurapika promptly obeyed, sliding onto the bed in front of him.

"Kurapika-chan, if you could go anywhere in the world, no restrictions whatsoever, where would you go?" he asked sullenly. Kurapika blinked but leaned forward, their foreheads pressed together.

"Anywhere you'd be" she murmured, threading her fingers in his hair.

"Would you obey me no matter what?" he asked again, holding her at arms length to look into her eyes. Kurapika was confused. Why all the questions? She however answered Killua properly, ignoring her own questions running through her head.

"Hai, Killua-sama."

"Are you willing to give up your name and heritage… for… for us?" he asked again. Kurapika was starting to feel nervous. She was starting to piece together what little information she had gathered from his questions, however she needed to know what had gone on in his meeting with his father.

"Hai" she nodded frowning, "Killua, what happened?"

"Kurapika, if we stay here, I'll be forced to marry someone else… Kalluto… I… I can't do that…" Killua stammered, drawing her in, holding her close.

"It's inevitable, Killua-sama…" Kurapika replied, realizing the implications of his statement, "Even so, I'll still be yours, no matter what…"

"Iie, that's not enough. We have to leave," he decided finally. Kurapika pulled away.

"And where in the _world_ will we go?!" she demanded. Killua stopped for a moment, thinking.

"To Whale Island. We'll seek refuge from Gon." Kurapika had no choice to obey, not that she didn't like it. A life with Killua, just the two of them, was very tempting. Killua helped her up.

"Do you have anything that isn't heavy?" he asked.

"Hai" she pulled him to her room to get changed while Killua pondered on their escape.

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(1) Of course they're still virgins. Kurapika's birthday is on April 7.

(2) Yes, this is incest. Let's just assume that genetic mutation does not occur when their genes mix. (Although Killua has a seemingly genetically mutated brother but we will overlook this.)


End file.
